Although I’ve been fishing the Bear for 45 years – 35 of them as a guest of Plummer’s at each of their operations on Great Bear, including Tree River, I can’t really claim to have known Chummy all that well, with my personal interactions being largely confined to a quick welcome or farewell on the strip, a passing hello if I ran into him at the lodge while he was busy doing “Chummy stuff,” or a brief chat at the Thursday night wine and cheese.
The only exceptions being a couple of somewhat longer conversations I had the pleasure of having with him, one being on the strip a few years back while waiting for the ATR, where he told me in no uncertain terms what he thought of some recent Transport Canada regs that made it by and large impossible to operate the fuel barge – to put it mildly he was less than impressed – and the other on the telephone while he was on his way to a Fall goose hunt, when I was gathering background information for an article I was helping to write about the Plummer’s family aviation history.
Although we didn’t have much in the way of personal contact, you could say that I came to “know” Chummy through the business that his grandfather, dad and he created, and which by any measure, represented a true reflection of who he was.
His story, in fact his legacy, is one comprised of unwavering courage , commitment, vision, continuous improvement, and a singularity of purpose, which despite the immense challenges inherent in operating in such a remote, and at times inhospitable environment, he persevered and prospered where others have tried, and more often than not failed.
With a steady hand on the tiller – you know I had to slip in a fishing reference at some point – while directing lodge operations over the decades, he made it possible for me and countless others to fish Great Bear Lake year after year; see and experience what I consider to be the most extraordinary place on Earth; and, most importantly, build lifelong friendships.
And for that, I will always be grateful.
So here’s to you Chummy, and while you may no longer be with us, your legend and legacy will most assuredly live on through the enduring impact that you have had on so many of us for so long.
Rest easy…
Harold
